Easy Ways to Look Younger

Great news! Research shows that gaining weight makes you look younger! According to a forthcoming study in the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, fat can help smooth out wrinkles and make you look younger. Can someone please pass the Hagaan Dazs?

The authors of the study examined the faces of 186 pairs of identical twins. Given that they had the same exact set of genes, “differences in how old they looked could be attributed entirely to their behavioral choices and environment.” They noticed that those with a higher body mass index (BMI) looked significantly younger than their twin sibling. But there is a catch. The age-defying benefits of fat don’t kick in until 40, and even more dramatically so after 55.

I found this piece of news refreshing and became interested in learning other easy ways to look younger. Aside from the commonly cited long-term care tips which include using sun block, staying hydrated, not smoking, eating healthy and getting enough rest, I wanted to find a few immediate, results-oriented recommendations (that don’t involved injecting your face with fillers -- not that there’s anything wrong with that).

Here are the top 5 that I uncovered.

Retin-A might not be a secret, especially since its benefits were touted in a New York Times article a few years ago. But its secret is out: it works! According to the article, regular use of Retin-A can improve skin texture, fade dark spots and freckles, shrink pores and help boost collagen production.

Image consultant Ketura Persellin says the most important thing she tells her clients is to get a fresh haircut. “It's obvious but many women get stuck in a rut. Women need to get something different and updated every couple years. And radically adjusting the length is good, too.” Modernizing your wardrobe and eyeglasses will help too.

Get your eyebrows professionally tweezed. Charla Krupp, author of “How Not to Look Old: Fast and Effortless Ways to Look 10 Years Younger, 10 Pounds Lighter, 10 Times Better,” says in Time magazine: “It will make a difference, because the eyebrows can be an instant facelift. They really lift your face up.”

Get fitted for a new bra. A Newsweek article says that four out of five women are wearing the wrong size, and that saggy boobs are instantly aging. Go to a specialist at a department store or a lingerie store for a fitting -- and while you’re at it, get something sexy.

Celebrity stylist Wayne Scott Lukas advises all his clients to wear smooth fabrics like cashmere and silk by their faces. “The best way to have your skin look younger is never ever wear a wrinkled fabric by your face,” he says. “Subliminally, wrinkles say ‘wrinkled’ so a crinkley shirt or a rough wool will give those qualities off when you put them near your skin!”

And the last two words on the subject are: smile and lycra.

Check out these Before & After photos from TLC’s “10 Years Younger,” and find out what these men and women did to take a decade off their appearance.

You've heard the commercials before: Take product X and you can reduce the effects of aging. But what do you really know about anti-aging supplements? Can you separate fact from fiction? Take this quiz to find out.